The Animal Planet
by Mr. Alien123
Summary: Pokemon Trainer Dan wakes up on Hawaii, an island in the Pacific Ocean. Confused, he must venture into the depths and corners of our planet- The Animal Planet- to get back to his beloved Pokemon Planet. This story takes place in the late 80s- early 90s, so the Pokemon game hasn't come out yet.


"Uuurhhrhhhgg," I mumbled, clutching sand with my fingers before seeing black again.

I can hear it, the waves of the ocean, but where was I? Cerulean?

Not able to get up, I manage to open my eyes. Endless clear skies filled all of my vision, until a Pokemon fluttered by. I shot forward and looked around.

It was a beach, and the bluish green waves crashed at my feet every few seconds. I only wore what seemed to be tattered shorts and a black t-shirt. Barefooted, I struggled to pull myself up until a Wingull- Wait. That's not a Wingull.

What's that Pokemon? It LOOKS like one, but…

"Yo, dude!" Someone called from a cliff behind me. "You OK?"

He seemed about my age, wearing sunglasses as he gasped, evidently jogging.

"I think so. Where am I?" I ask, staring at the sea.

The guy lowered his glasses to look.

"An island. You wind up on shore? I see at least a couple people lost at sea that come ashore here," he says.

"I dunno. The last thing I remember was that I was in Cerulean City training my Sandshrew and then I remember walking into a cave. That's all I can remember."

"Cerulean? Where's Cerulean?"

He told me I was on an island, so I was probably in Hoenn. "Cerulean is in Kanto."

"Ah, okay, that place in Japan. And what's a Sandshrew?"

"…A…a Pokemon…" I say, dumbfounded he didn't know what a Sandshrew is.

He lowered his glasses again. "Uh… you must've had a bit of brain damage. C'mon, there's a small town this way where you can get fed and rest up. My name's Luke, what's yours?" He said, extending a hand to me.

"Danny, but call me Dan," I say, putting all my weight on his hand.

We start walking through a tropical area lined with fences and fields. No wind was blowing, and a summer sun shined on both of us.

"So, when do you think I can go back to Kanto? After I eat and rest up, of course," I say.

"There's no ships leaving for Japan currently, and we're just kids, I hardly think they'll let us on a ship without adult permission," Luke says. 

"You said it again."

"Eh?"

"Japan, what's Japan?"

"…The… country. Japan."

"No. Kanto is a continent."

"Look, we'll talk after you've gotten yourself some rest."

A small town came into view a little while away, but I couldn't stand getting a bit more info.

"We're on the island of Hoenn, right?" I say.

"Nope, this is Hawaii, a set of islands making up a state in the Pacific Ocean."

"I haven't heard of it."

We walk in silence until we reach the town. Everyone is walking along, carrying suitcases and talking on a weird gadget, similar to a Pokegear. Luke says hi to a few people passing, but I feel something strange. Something's missing… 

"Where's all the Pokemon?" I say, horrified at only humans walking by.

"Uh, Pokemon? Who's Pokemon?" Luke says, his eyebrow arching up.

I slow down. This has to be a dream, and I'll wake up soon. I pinch myself and I feel more horror than pain.

"Alright, here we are!" Luke says, pointing to a humble home on the outskirts of town, overlooking the ocean.

Dried grass covers most of the field, and trees are lined up everywhere. But not a SINGLE Pokemon in sight. A women opened the door and embraced Luke with me standing there awkwardly.

"Oh sorry mom. This is Dan, he washed up on shore from Japan! He needs to eat and bit and get rest. That won't be a problem, right?" Luke explained.

"Not at all! Come, dear, we were about to set up lunch," Luke's mom welcomed.

"Thanks," I said, walking through the doorway and gasping.

There were Pokemon- no. Not Pokemon. Some other thing heads propped up on walls, and a bear rug on the floor. Luke's mom started putting some sort of meat on the table, and that's when I fell over, fainted.

I had horrible dreams of speculations about the island. Was it cursed with no Pokemon? Had the humans hunted them all to extinction? I jerked forward, breathing hard in a bed when I dreamed of someone digging a knife into a Tepig.

"Dan, what happened?" Luke said, rushing over to the bed.

**5 minutes later, we all sat on the rug.**

"Alright, Dan, tell us your story from the beginning," Luke's mom said, folding her hands in her lap.

"I guess. It all started in Pewter City, Kanto, when I got my first Pokemon, a Geodude. Was only 8 at that time, so I couldn't battle to get badges, but I could train Geodude. I did so until 10, my current age, when I became a registered Pokemon Trainer! I got plenty of other friends like Zubat and Sandshrew before I left Pewter, headed east to Cerulean City to get my second gym badge, after defeating Brock, of course. I lost to Misty, so I started training on Nugget Bridge. I finished training Geodude and Zubat and was moving on to Sandshrew when I noticed a cave nearby. I went inside and I don't really remember anything. Then I washed up on shore on this island when Luke found me. I think that sums it up," I say.

Both of them gape at me, and they actually have to use their hands to close their mouths.

"Ermm, interesting story, Dan," Luke's mom stammered.

Luke shook himself out of confusion. "Mom, he said he needed to get on a ship to Japan, Kanto area."

"Hmm, there seem to be no ships coming for another few months, sadly," Luke said, scratching his head.

"We can see about lending him our own boat," Luke's mom said thoughtfully.

"But how can he bring it back?" Luke asked.

"Simple! You'll accompany Dan to Japan and see him off at the port there," Luke's mom explained.

There was silence as Luke's mom went to the backyard, which I'm guessing to look for a boat.

"Look guys, I appreciate the offer, but I just need a water Pokemon to get to Kanto. No one needs to come with me," I say.

"Hey, quit it with the 'Pokemon' stuff. It's getting annoying. Anyways, I got this guy in town who's a genius, and he might know what you're talking about," Luke said.

So to make a long story short, we went off deeper in town to find his friend. His friend- Simon, apparently resided in a shabby, worn out apartment building. Luke led me up the creaky stairs and knocked on the cracked door of 306.

Someone- I'm guessing Simon- appeared, a bit older than the two of us, wearing a full sleeve white shirt, black pants, and a pair of spectacles.

Luke explained what I was talking about and asked if I went insane. Simon looked at me with curious, searching eyes.

"Tell me, Dan, do you know what planet we are in?" Simon asked, to which Luke frowned.

"Duh! We're on Earth!" I exclaim.

"I see. Do you know the seven continents?"

I frown. Seven continents?

"We still don't know how the Earth looks like. So far there are the continents of Kanto; Johto, Unova, and Kalos, and then there's the islands of Hoenn and Sinnoh. But those are the only known places on Earth, so there may be more places," I explain.

"I see. And Luke said you mentioned creatures known as 'Pokemon,' correct?"

"Yes, but there are none on this island!" I argue.

"There are none in this world, my friend. There are only creatures known as animals that roam these lands, skies, and seas," Simon explained.

"Animals? Those 'animals' can't use attacks or be caught in Pokeballs or anything?" I ask, pleading for information.

"I have a theory, although it sounds far fetched," Simon began, leaning against his side of the couch. "You were living in an alternate version of our Earth right here where apparently these Pokemon creatures live. Luke said the last thing you remember was going into a cave and then you awoke on the beach? My guess is that cave was the portal to that world to this, a loophole in the very fabric of space. Was that cave off limits?" Simon asked.

"Usually there was a guard posted there, but there wasn't and curiosity got the better of me," I say dumbly.

"Well, I don't know how to put this, but you're trapped here. Most likely forever," Simon said, with a grim look on his face.

"Wait- so if he went through a loophole in space, there must be a way to get back, right?" Luke asked, sitting up.

"Sadly, I'm not sure. The loophole might've only been a one- way slide to our world. Searching for it would be the best bet," Simon said.

"ARE YOU SERIOUS? This planet is HUGE! And there's only one small cave leading to the world Dan is from?" Luke gaped in astonishment.

"I dunno. As I said, this is just a theory. And we're all just kids, so we don't know anything or do anything," Simon fell back in defeat. "You'll have to wait until you're an adult to get a say in something, so enjoy your time here, Dan. Another theory is that you hit your head or went into a coma-"

"NO WAY! I'm getting back to the Pokemon world right NOW!" I yelled, and ran outta the building alone.

Bad move. I was stuck in a town where I didn't know a single direction. I decided running one way would get me to the ocean and I would figure it out from there. Passing a sign that read KEAWANUI BAY I arrived in a (obviously) bay. The sea sparkled brightly as I jumped right in, swimming near the shore and trying to settle my mind down a bit. I'm not crazy, I came from the Pokemon world, and this is the animal world, apparently.

The waves parted as my arms ached in the blue-green hue of the sea. I saw Luke running up to the bay, panting like a Poochyena.

"Hey! The boat's ready! I'm thinking the best place to look for that loophole would be Kanto, Japan anyways!" Luke said, motioning with his hand to a boat a hundred yards away on the beach, hovering near a dock.

"Alright. I'm coming," I say, putting my torn up black t-shirt back on, avoiding anything sharp that might hurt my bare feet.

And so, I jumped up on the boat. There was only me, Luke, and a wannabe, skinny sailor in training nervously untying knots from the boat. We all hopped on the 25 ft by 10 ft boat, put up sails and did whatever else the sailor of the boat did, and set off into the Pacific Ocean, apparently, off an island called Hawaii, apparently, setting sail for Japan, apparently, on the animal planet. Apparently.


End file.
